A Healthy Balance

Feb. 18, 2008 9:23 AM

Written by

Jessica Demovsky

At a time when medicine often seems more focused on profits than patients and it’s almost unheard of for physicians to own their own practices, Dr. Kolleen Zimmermann is bucking the trend.

Zimmermann, 38, is a general and cosmetic dermatologist who has owned Green Bay’s Dermatology Clinic since 2003. She had a myriad of motives for purchasing the well-established practice, but in essence they all add up to one overriding reason—independence.

“I worked as dermatologist in Milwaukee for multiple groups,” says Zimmermann, who now works about 20 hours a week. “I wanted the opportunity to own my own business; there are not that many small practices in medicine any more. I like the flexibility I have, being able to schedule my own hours and work around my family.

“Part of why I work part-time is that when you own your own business, there are things you have to deal with outside of seeing patients. [Working part-time] gives me a little bit of time to myself, to recharge myself; medicine is stressful and owning a business is stressful.”

Flexibility and freedom would seem to be the last things that a dual-career business owner/physician mother would find. Yet Zimmermann is thriving, says friend and co-worker Laura Marusinec, a pediatrician who commutes from the Milwaukee area to work at the clinic three days a week.

“It’s all about balance, which many physicians don’t find, and she’s found a great way to deal with owning the clinic, being a physician and a mother,” says Marusinec.

Both Zimmermann and Marusinec agree that a large part of that balance is due to the dedication of Zimmermann’s husband, Chris, who is the clinic’s office manager.

“For a couple – they pretty much own and run a business together, which is difficult – they seem to be enjoying it and thriving,” says Marusinec. “A lot of it is that they do so much together and they do so much with their daughter.”

While the dual demands of owning the clinic and seeing patients might seem overwhelming, for Zimmermann, the flexibility to spend time with her family and the independence to run the practice as she wants are the keys to her success.

“With a large group, I had no control over my schedule, how much I worked, how many patients I saw,” says Zimmermann. “The biggest draw [to purchasing the clinic] was working part time and making my own schedule and changing it as I need to.”

Marusinec, who has known Zimmermann since medical school and worked with her in a large group in Milwaukee, says it’s an invigorating work environment for the entire staff.

“[We both] left a large clinic setting where you’re a number and you just do what they tell you to,” says Marusinec. “Now we practice the way we want. We see our own patients—they’re our patients. The staff is so small, and the on-call schedule is [Zimmermann’s] cell phone.

The flexibility that the staff at the clinic relishes pays off for patients too.

“It’s great for patients. They’re not going to feel like someone is just seeing them. They’re not going to get the runaround. If you love what you do, you’re in a situation to provide the best care for your patients.”

Zimmermann says her favorite part of being a doctor is spending time with her patients and improving the quality of their lives.

“We try to focus on customer service because we are smaller,” says Zimmermann. “We offer evening and after school hours so people don’t have to take their kids out [of school], or take time off work. It’s patient-centered care; we adjust to the patient’s needs. We’re flexible and appreciative of their time.”